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Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Fall Fruit Salad

Fruit salads are always a hit in my family. Unfortunately, most of the time they have Jell-O involved, which I'm not a fan of. I wanted to create a salad that was tasty but still loved by the family, and I think I've done it.

This salad has apples as the base, with some persimmons and pomegranate seeds to add some color and flavor. I added walnuts for some extra crunch and tossed it all in a cranberry orange dressing. I ate bowlfuls of this salad and I just wanted to eat all of it!

I used Opal apples because they have crunch but have a great, almost watermelon-like flavor. If you prefer, any crisp apple like Fuji, Pink Lady, or my favorite Honeycrisp would work beautifully. For the persimmons, you want to be sure to get the Fuyu persimmons which are eaten when they are a bit more firm than the other varieties. Pomegranate seeds are usually sold in fall in little containers by the bagged salad or pre-cut fruit in your store so you won't have to split open and knock out all the seeds of a whole pomegranate. If you want to get the seeds from a whole pomegranate, then you will need seeds from about 1/4 of a regular pomegranate.

This fall fruit salad would be perfect for Thanksgiving or any family meal. It's festive and tasty, perfect for your table.

Fall Fruit Salad

Serves 4

2 apples, cored and chopped

2 Fuyu persimmons, top cut off and cored then cut into cubes

1/4 c. pomegranate seeds

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

Dressing:

1/2 c. whole cranberries

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. orange juice

1/4 c. sugar

In a small saucepan combine all ingredients for dressing. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then simmer for 5 minutes or until cranberries pop. Remove from heat, let cool for 10 minutes, then strain using a mesh strainer. Using the back of a wooden spoon, squeeze all the juice out of the cranberries. Set dressing aside.

In a large bowl, combine apples, persimmons, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts. Drizzle dressing over fruit, then toss to combine. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Extra tip: the cranberries used in the dressing that are left in the strainer make a great spread for a stuffing and turkey sandwich, perfect for the day after Thanksgiving.